Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-09-01
A Terrible Story From the
Far North.
STARVATION CAUSES SEVERAL
CASES OF CANNIBALIsM AT
FORT CHIPPEWA. ...
An Old Woman Admits Having Killed
and DevOured Her Whole Fam
iIy-A Terrible Winter.

WINNIPEG, August 25.-Meager de-
tails have reached here of the terrible
suffering caused by the severe weather
of last winter in the British North
west Territory toward the far north. 1t
seems that both cannibalism and star
vatiOn occurred, those who were victims
of the latter revolving at the idea of
eating the flesh of their fellow-men,
and preferring death. Last winter was
the most severe ever known, and the
cattle industry of the Northwest was
almost wiped out. Many ofthe Ameri
can Indians were frozen to death, but
most of them were fed on Government
rations and survived.
The natives of the British Northwest
who were contiguous to towns were
supported in great measure by the peo-
pie, but it has for a long time been
feared that in the far north great suffer-
ing occurred. 1t is now developed that
these fears are more than realized.
When Colonel Glider and his COM
panion, Arthur, of Winnipeg, returned
from their fruitless search after the
North Pole, they brought with them
vague stories of starvation that had
been told them by the natives, and it
was even limited that some had fallen
victims to the struggle for existence,
and had died that Others might live
These they themselves discredited, but
there is later information to the effect
that they were well founded.
Early in May Colin Frazier and Chas.
Stewart left Winnipeg on a trip to the
far north, expecting to trade with the
Indians and come back laden with
valuable furs. Word has just been re-
ceived from them. They did not reach
Fort Chippewain, in the trading region
until the 9TH of July, and then only
after an extremely rough trip, arriving
more dead than alive. The country
had been denuded of game. In the late
fall forest fires, presumably started by
the Indians by accident, had swept the
country and driven out or consumed
every animal. The country raises no
grain. No means of subsistence was
left to the people and starvation was
the only alternative. The Indians have
their villages principally along the Lit
tie Red River and the Mackenzie River.
From these isolated points awful stories
reached the few people at Chippewain,
and were repeated to Messrs. Stewart
and Frazier, the only strangers that had
been seen for nearly year.
When the game failed the Indians
and half-breeds eat first their dogs,
then their ponies. Still famine pre-
vailed. The people up the Mackenzie
River especially were reduced to dire
straits. They could not apply to the
Government for aid, because Of the inn
possibility of communication. Canni-
balism was the last resort, and it was
embraced by many. The more civil
lized Indians toward the south preferr-
ed starvation. Those in the north,
who are desperate lot, and who had
an unenviable reputation, commanded
by one-eyed old chief named Onitche,
as horse thieves, are reported to have
decided in favor of fcannibalism.
An Indian once employed as a scout
by the people of Chippewain, and who
lived in Onitche's village until quarrel
with the chief forced him to flee for his
life, says that several of the braves who
were ready at all times to do their
chiefs bidding were robust when others
were starving. At the same time q
number of small children, almost
always girls, disappeared. 1t was said
by their unnatural parents that they
nad oeen loSt IN snow storm. The
ex-scout became suspicious. He trailed
two of the braves with whom he was
not in good favor, and about five miles
from the village, found them around a
fire eating meat, something the camp
hadn't seen for months. In the vicini.
ty was little heap of bones, and the
scout says they were undoubtedly hu.
man. He tracked the bucks back tc
the camp. They went straight tc
Onitche's tepes and gave him bundle,
which, in talking with Onitche's squaW
afterward, she admitted to contain hu.
man meat and she even admitted tc
him that her own two girls had died
that their father and herself might live
In all it is said as many as eight chill.
dren mysteriously disappeared, while
at least thirty people among the South.
ern Indians are known to have died OF
starvation.